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"You've got this all wrong, Cath," Alex's voice rang out, sharp and defensive, as he yanked his arm free of Jemma's delicate grasp. "It's not what it looks like."

Cath gazed at the scene before her - Alex, her life partner, standing excessively near Jemma, her sister. Jemma's lips nestled into a sneer, an articulation so weak it might have been confused with responsibility by any individual who didn't have a clue about her.

Her throat consumed. "Then, at that point, *what* does it seem to be, Alex? Since from where I'm standing, it looks a ton like selling out."

Jemma shifted her head, her long light hair flowing behind her in a rehearsed move. "Cath, dear," she said, her voice trickling with pretended guiltlessness, "you're blowing up. Alex and I were simply - "

"Spare me," Cath cut her off, her voice breaking. "I saw enough. You don't get to bend this."

The load in the room squeezed against her chest as she ventured back, shaking her head in dismay. How had it worked out like this? The man she thought she'd wed, the sister she'd guarded for what seemed like forever - together in the faint light of her family's review, murmuring mysteries that currently felt like blades to her back.

Cath's knees clasped, yet she steadied herself against the door jamb, reluctant to fall before them. "How long?" Her voice hushed up, very nearly a murmur, yet it cut through the quiet like a sharp edge.

Alex looked at Jemma, then, at that point, back at Cath. "Essentially nothing remains to be informed you. This isn't - "

"Try not to lie!" The yell got away from her before she had some control over it. Her hands shuddered at her sides, clenched hands grasped so close her nails dove into her palms. "How long have you been sneaking around despite my good faith?"

Jemma moaned, emphatically, as though Cath was the nonsensical one. "Truly, Cath, you've forever been so emotional. Might you at any point see this isn't about you?"

The words hit like a slap. Cath opened her mouth, however no sound emerged. She turned her look to Alex, frantic for some sort of clarification, some defense that would fix the rugged edges cutting into her chest.

He didn't meet her eyes.

The quietness between them was stunning, broken simply by the weak ticking of the clock on the far wall. It was Jemma who broke it.

"If you will cause a ruckus, Cath, perhaps take it elsewhere," Jemma said, looking at her impeccably manicured nails. "Mother won't generally care for you creating a ruckus in the house."

Cath's breath got. "Mother."

Also, as though brought, Kaila cleared into the room. Her heels clicked against the hardwood, her presence glorious and ordering as usual. She stopped, taking in the scene: Cath, flushed and shaking; Alex, blameworthy and quiet; Jemma, grinning as though she'd won some award.

"What's happening here?" Kaila's voice was cool, her sharp look choosing Cath.

Cath attempted to consistent her breathing, signaling at Alex and Jemma. "What's happening? *This*. This is what's happening. Your future child in regulation and your #1 little girl - together."

Kaila's eyes flicked to Alex, then, at that point, to Jemma, and lastly back to Cath. There was no shock, no displeasure. Just inconvenience. "Cath, don't be crazy."

"Ludicrous?" Cath repeated, her voice breaking. "You believe I'm making this up? I got them - here, in *your* house!"

Kaila folded her arms. "Also, what does that demonstrate? That you're adequately unreliable to rush to make judgment calls?"

Cath gazed at her mom, her throat fixed. "You're not kidding?"

Kaila's lips nestled into. "What I'm doing is declining to enjoy your showy behaviors. Jemma is your sister. Alex is - was - your life partner. There's nothing on earth you wouldn't do to safeguard your nobility, as opposed to tossing allegations around like a despised lady."

An unpleasant giggle rose out of Cath. "Respect? You're discussing respect when my sister is lying down with the man I should wed?"

Jemma's grin enlarged, her voice misleading delicate. "Cath, don't be so rough. We as a whole are grown-ups here."